Greyhound Racing Webquest

Introduction | Task | Resources | Process | Evaluation | Conclusion

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Introduction

Greyhound racing is a controversial sport. While there are many people who oppose the sport and all it entails, the racers and breeders contend that they do what they do because of their love for these magnificent animals. This webquest will give you the opportunity to argue one side of this issue, and form an educated opinion of your own.

The Task

There has been a proposal to build a greyhound racetrack in this town, Any Town, USA. There will be a town council meeting to determine whether this proposal will go through. Half of you will be members of a Greyhound Racing Organization; the other half of you will be members of a Greyhound Rights Organization. You will argue your groups’ cause before the town council.

Resources

• General background reading for both groups.

Both of these are owners of ex-racing greyhounds who have researched the lives of greyhounds, past and present. Their books are available in your local library for further reading.

• Make Peace with Animals
  Cynthia Branigan is president of this organization
• Retired Racing Greyhounds
  This is author Lee Livingwood's site!

• Resources for the Greyhound Racing Organization

• American Greyhound Track Operators Association
  A history of greyhounds and the sport of racing
• University of Florida Center for Veterinary Sports Medicine
  Medical care for racers
• American Greyhound Council
  General information on greyhounds and racing organizations

• Resources for the Greyhound Rights Organization

• Humane Society of the United States
  Greyhound Racing Facts
• PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals)
  Greyhound Factsheet
• Grey2K USA
  Nationwide effort to end Greyhound Racing

The Process:

1. Begin with the background reading sites listed above to familiarize yourself with the topic.
2. Assign the following roles within your groups:
   Greyhound Racing Organization
• Dog owner/breeder
• Trainer
• Track owner
• Veterinarian

Greyhound Rights Organization

• Representative from the Human Society of the United States
• Representative from PETA
• Representative from Grey2K USA
• Veterinarian

(Note: The only member of either group who actually live in Any Town USA are the veterinarians.)

3. Begin your research, you may use the site listed above, or you may do your own research. You may want to use Google to do this. If time permits, you might want to look at the sites listed for the other group, to see what your competition will be saying.
4. Each group will put together a PowerPoint presentation to persuade the town council to vote for their side.
5. Be sure to include your references. Give credit where credit is due!!!!

Evaluation

The group will be evaluated on the final presentation. This persuasive presentation must be built upon facts, and the evaluation will rely upon the quality of the groups’ research and the professionalism of the presentation. The “winner/loser” of this debate will have no bearing on the final evaluation.

Conclusion

The purpose of this webquest was to inform the participants of the controversy surrounding greyhound. Though one group will surely present a more persuasive case, the ultimate goal is to educate the participants and have them form an opinion based in fact. If there were talk of building a greyhound racetrack in your town, which side would you be on? Do you feel you’ve reached a conclusive opinion on this issue? Are there any further steps you would take after completing this webquest to better understand this issue? If so, what would they be?